Golf game



June 19330 .J. 5. FORD 1,914,365

GOLF GAME Filed Nov. 12, 1950 with the floor of the room in which the apfloor 13.

Patented June 20, 1933 @FIQE JOSEPH B. FORD, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS GOLF Application filed. November My invention relates to a game which is adapted to be played with. golf balls and clubs and in which a novel type of putting green is provided.

The principal object of my invention is the provision of a new game.

Another object is the provision of a golf game having novel features, both as to method of play and construction of the ap paratus.

Another object is a new game adapted to be played with golf apparatus, but which may be scored in accordance with the rules of a standard card game.

Another object is the provision of an im proved game board.

Other objects and features of the invention will be apparent from a consideration of the following detailed description taken with the accompanying drawing, wherein Fig. l is a plan view of the putting apparatus on which the game is adapted to be played,

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary longitudinal sec tional view, shown slightly larger than Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is an enlarged plan View partly broken away, showing features of construction, and

Fig. 4 is a perspective View showing the putting position.

In the construction shown, the approaching green 10 and horizontal putting green 11, are formed integral and comprise a suitable sub-frame work includin cross-members 12 and flooring 13. The cross-members 12 gradually decrease in height along the approaching green until at the putting position the floor 13 is substantially in line paratus in mounted. Around the horizontal putting area I provide sideboards l i, spaced from the putting surface by gutter boards 16, which extend below the surface of the This provides a gutter around three sides of the space 11 into which the golf balls are adapted to roll, if putted hard enough to pass completely over the space 11, or if they are off-direction. At the top of the sideboards 14 I provide a spacer 17 to GAME 12, 1839. Serial No. 495,608.

which is secured in pendant relation thereto a curtain 18 of resilient material, such as semi-soft rubber, this curtain extending almost to the bottom of the gutter. This curtain functions positively to trap any ball in the gutter, which strikes against it, so that there is no possibility of a ball striking the sideboard 14 and bounding back onto the scoring or counting green.

The floor 13 is covered with suitable material throughout to serve as a putting surface to approach as near as possible the conditions existing in an ordinary golf putting green. This putting surface is'divided into three sections; namely, the section on the approaching green 10, a scoring green 19, and a nonscoring green 21. While these sections may all consist of the same material or type of material, for the proper functioning of the apparatus as a whole, I prefer to have each section slightly different than each other section. The approaching green should allow a ball to move smoothly, but should be sufiiciently fast so that if the player does not putt true and straight, or if he does not putt a sufficient distance, the ball will have a tendency to roll off of such surface, with a stroke penalty. The nonscoring green section 21 should be smooth and allow a ball to move over the same readily, but preferably should be somewhat slower. The section 19 should be medium fast to secure the best playing results- As to the specific materials used, I may employ special grades of rubber matting, carpet of suitable texture, molded compositions or the like. If desired, I may use the tame type of material throughout the entire putting surface. The materials used in the frame-work portions of the device may be modified, but in general I would prefer to employ wood throughout except for the floor portion 18, which may be made of a material such as Celotex, which is light in weight, sufliciently strong, possessed of smoothness, with no tendency to warping, and which has a sound deadening effect. However, other types of materials may be used instead of Celotex.

In my preferred embodiment I mark the tion.

scoring green 19 out in squares as shown, each square corresponding to one ordinary playing card, and there being 52 squares so that each card in a standard deck may be represented. I may, however, use only a limited number of squares and so not use all of the cards of the standard deck or the squares may be marked with different indicia depending upon the specific manner in which the game is to be played.

Fig. 3 shows the squares marked up to represent cards, the denomination of the card being indicated by a letter or figure and the suit being designated by the first letter of the suit which the card represents. For example, KS would representthe king of spades and 36 would represent the three of clubs. This showing is made for convenience, it being understood that other Ways of showing the card, such as the conventional card faces, or entirely different indicia may be employed.

Near the lower end of the approaching green I provide means for supporting golf balls, this means constituting the putting position from which the balls are to be putted. In the particular form shown, a flat ball retaining troughlike ledge 22 is provided, wiich serves as a teeing position. A smooth approach, however, is made to the approaching green proper so that there will be no tendency for the balls to bounce when played off of the putting posi This fiat construction extends entirely across the approaching green so that the player may play from any position selected by him. However, in playing the game rules may be provided that the player must putt from the exact center.

As to the manner in which the game is played, a number of balls are putted from the putting position, using an ordinary golf putter and the balls score according to the position on the scoring green in which they stop. For example, five balls may be putted by each player, and a poker hand may be made, corresponding to the cards indicated by the squares in which the balls are stopped. If desired, the players may draw as in an ordinary game of draw poker. For example, if a player had a pair of kings and three worthless cards, he could elect to putt three more balls, with the idea of improving his hand. When a ball stops on the space 21, the player may have the privilege of playing another ball-for the iine stopping at such position, or if desired he may be permitted to putt again from the position on the space 21 on which his ball stopped. A ball stopping in the gutter, however, would be a dead ball and would not count. This is merely illustrative, as it is obvious that many types of card games could be played. The game known as blackjack or twenty-one is an example of a game which can be played as readily as poker. In this way the players not only have the skill of putting, which is tested by the game, but in addition have the attraction of attempting to score as good a card hand as possible. Since it is almost impossible to putt with such accuracy as to pick out cards before putting, there is an element. of luck in the game equivalent to the luck of the deal in an ordinary card game.

Vhile the game may be constructed in substantially any size, I have found the best results when the squares representing the cards measure approximately seven inches each way, and in which the approachin green is approximately fifteen feet in length from the putting position to the scoring position. These dimensions are illustrative, however, and may be changed.

Although I have described my invention in detail so that those skilled in the art may practice the same, it is obvious that I am not restricted to the particular form of apparatus and that the invention is limited only by the scope of the appended claim.

I claim:

In a golf game, a platform having a center scoring green divided into a plurality of scoring squares and formed of material over which a golf ball will roll relatively freely, a non-scoring green surrounding the scoring green formed of material over which the progress of the ball is relatively slow, and a relatively long inclined approaching green formed of material over which a ball will roll relatively freely, whereby the ball may be putted from a putting position on the approaching green onto the platform, and whereby, if the ball does not reach the platform, it will roll back to the putting position.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 25th day of October, 1930.

JOSEPH B. FORD. 

